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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. clip — for paper
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. clip — a video
  5. present — the time now
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. cold — not warm
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. clip — to cut
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. present — a gift
  20. present — there
  21. lie — to recline
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. perch — the fish
  24. cold — an illness

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com